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metaphysical
[ met-uh-fiz-i-kuhl ]
adjective
- pertaining to or of the nature of metaphysics.
- Philosophy.
- concerned with abstract thought or subjects, as existence, causality, or truth.
- concerned with first principles and ultimate grounds, as being, time, or substance.
- highly abstract, subtle, or abstruse.
- designating or pertaining to the poetry of an early group of 17th-century English poets, notably John Donne, whose characteristic style is highly intellectual and philosophical and features intensive use of ingenious conceits and turns of wit.
- Archaic. imaginary or fanciful.
Metaphysical
1/ ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl /
adjective
- denoting or relating to certain 17th-century poets who combined intense feeling with ingenious thought and often used elaborate imagery and conceits. Notable among them were Donne, Herbert, and Marvell
noun
- a poet of this group
metaphysical
2/ ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl /
adjective
- relating to or concerned with metaphysics
- (of a statement or theory) having the form of an empirical hypothesis, but in fact immune from empirical testing and therefore (in the view of the logical positivists) literally meaningless
- (popularly) abstract, abstruse, or unduly theoretical
- incorporeal; supernatural
Derived Forms
- ˌmetaˈphysically, adverb
Other Words From
- meta·physi·cal·ly adverb
- anti·meta·physi·cal adjective
- anti·meta·physi·cal·ly adverb
- hyper·meta·physi·cal adjective
- nonmet·a·physi·cal adjective
- nonmet·a·physi·cal·ly adverb
- quasi-meta·physi·cal adjective
- quasi-meta·physi·cal·ly adverb
- unmet·a·physi·cal adjective
- unmet·a·physi·cal·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of metaphysical1
Example Sentences
During this time, normal activities are disrupted, so an indivdual’s thoughts become more attuned to the metaphysical.
There is a profound and metaphysical difference between the two.
Moreover, there may well be no independent “metaphysical” substance constituting our reality that underlies this web.
Springsteen closed the show with a new song off Letter to You, “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” a metaphysical invitation that replaces the earlier closer, “Born to Run.”
Bechdel references these metaphysical moments, or “aerobic inebriation,” throughout her book.
He left the U.S., seeking a spiritual and metaphysical connection for his work elsewhere.
I do not say a creation … Any preexistence of the universe has a metaphysical character.
Things get metaphysical in one of the most masterful hours of television since ‘Breaking Bad.’
So in episode five—not to spoil anything—Cohle gives one of his metaphysical addresses.
Caleb makes clear that those plaguing him are honest-to-god metaphysical beings and not traumatic figments.
Metaphysical terms, taken in their proper sense, have sometimes determined the opinion of twenty nations.
In his metaphysical conversations, Baudelaire spoke much of his ideas, little of his sentiments, and never of his actions.
Metaphysical subtlety, in pursuit of an impracticable theory, could alone have devised one that is calculated to destroy it.
Dr. Whewell equally misunderstands M. Comte's doctrine respecting the second, or metaphysical stage of speculation.
A metaphysical explanation can be of use only when there is a doctrine of life which it serves to make manifest.
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